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In his report, M. Ėuolas explained what lessons and challenges “DPD Lietuva” faces to achieve sustainable continuity of parcel delivery activities and what the company has achieved in the last year.
CO2 emissions in the transport sector are increasing rapidly
According to him, global trends in the transport sector remain positive.
“Electric vehicle battery recycling technologies are being actively developed, and we are increasingly talking about green energy. “It’s good that investments in green energy have exceeded investments in fossil fuels in the last two years,” he said.
But although the European Union is preparing legislative and regulatory changes in the area of sustainability and states are investing billions in projects to develop sustainable transport, the measures we have today are not enough.
“Since the 1990s, the EU has managed to reduce CO2 emissions in all major sectors, but emissions in the transport sector are still rising sharply.” From 2021 to 2022 alone, CO2 emissions have increased by almost 5 percent.” , assured M. Ėuolas.
According to the spokesperson, DPD Lietuva currently has a clear goal of achieving zero CO2 emissions by 2040.
More electric cars are planned
“We are pleased to be the first parcel delivery service in the world to have science-based climate targets.” “We have defined four categories of decarbonization measures, including the electrification of our vehicle fleet, the integration of alternative fuels and the use of renewable energy sources,” explained M. Ėuolas.
Currently, DPD Lietuva’s parcel delivery activities are dominated by Scope 3 emissions, which account for 96 percent. of all emissions.
The majority of DPD Lietuva’s CO2 emissions come from first-mile delivery, when the package is picked up from the manufacturer or trading partner, and last-mile delivery, when the package is picked up from the post office by the recipient themselves.
The company currently has 60 electric cars, which save around 270 tons of CO2 annually.
“By 2024, we plan to purchase another 20 electric cars and expand the geographical map of our deliveries to other major cities,” he said.
In addition, the majority of the energy used in DPD Lietuva’s buildings comes from renewable energy sources.
Mr. Ėuolas stated that over the past four years they have enabled the company to reduce its carbon footprint by 10 percent.
Sustainability gives meaning to activities
In addition, the company currently owns 320 postal machines. Their number has tripled in the last four years.
“A postal machine can save around 2.9 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year when one person picks up a parcel by combining their journeys. For example, when you go to the mall to shop,” he explained.
M. Ėuolas conducted a survey among the employees of “DPD Lietuva” – up to 85 percent. They are familiar with sustainability and know clear activities about what the company is doing in the area of sustainability.
“One of the biggest sustainability benefits that employees cite is meeting the needs of our stakeholders. Employees feel that their working conditions, health and well-being are taken care of through sustainability activities. “Employees also enjoy working in a company that takes on social responsibility – that makes their work even more meaningful,” he said.
Limitations of electric cars
M. Ėuolas assured that “DPD Lietuva” continues to be a leader in the sustainable delivery segment among parcel delivery companies in Lithuania.
“Already in the capital, 50 percent of our fleet is electrified. If we look at the share of kilometers traveled by electric cars, this indicator reaches 24% in Vilnius County and 5% in all of Lithuania,” the moderator gave examples.
However, they face additional challenges because not all shipments can be delivered by electric vehicles due to certain temperature conditions. The possible uses of electric cars in smaller cities or in the suburbs of larger cities are also limited due to a lack of charging infrastructure.
In addition, a new electric minibus costs about 60,000. EUR and the new diesel – about 31 thousand. Euro.
“Due to increased interest rates, investments in electric cars do not always result in favorable conditions from banks,” M. Ėuolas added.
Even in the cold season, electricity consumption increases by around 30 percent when using an electric car. and mileage is reduced by up to 50%.
“Our own couriers mention that it becomes a little more difficult to deliver parcels using electric vehicles during the Christmas period,” he said.
The “Breathe” project is a gift to Vilnius
Another exemplary sustainability project from “DPD Lietuva” is called “Breathe”, which is being implemented in the city of Vilnius. Their main goal is to draw attention not only to the issue of climate change, but also to challenges such as air pollution, while supporting local government in working on these issues.
“Last year we installed forty air quality measurement sensors – many of which are installed in our electric cars. “This is a gift to the city – we provide data on the concentration of solid particles in the air,” explained M. Ėuolas.
Using the data from measurement sensors, detailed air quality measurement maps can be created, which can be used as an expert tool, for example when setting up environmental zones in the city. Then every resident of the city could know what the fine dust concentration is at their current location.
How do you implement sustainability principles in your company?
According to M. Ėuolo, there are three categories that make it possible to ensure sustainability in the company.
The first is managing sustainable initiatives, where companies prepare a sustainability strategy, set clear sustainability expectations and take into account the current regulatory environment.
The second category is value optimization. This includes assessing qualitative indicators not only from a financial perspective, but also the benefits for various stakeholders and the creation of long-term values for the community.
The final category is the evaluation of means. It is important to decide what can be done with the available resources, expertise and experience to successfully contribute to solving the most important social, economic and environmental problems.
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